Safety-step for freight-cars.



A. C: NEALE. SAFETY STEP FOR FREIGHT CARS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21 1910.

981,465. Patented Jan. 10, 1911 flvcza for w'uasisegs waeziieaze UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANGEL C. NEALE, OF LEONARD, TEXAS.

SAFETY-STEP FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1.91.1.

Application filed September 21, 1910. Serial"). 583,053.

improvements in safety steps for freight cars, and it comprehends, broadly, the production of a device upon which the brakcinan or other train hand may step withi safety prior to reaching the "hanger, ordinarily employed, and the lowermost rung of the ladder on the car end. Both the hanger v and the ladder rung above referred to are. in practice, located so far above the ground as to renderit extremely dangerous for a train hand to attempt to swing up directly thcreonto when the car is in motion. (,onsct ucntly, it has been customary to step lirst onto the journal box, and then onto thehanger. Such proceeding. lmwercr. has also proved dangerous, sin e the smooth surface of the sloping lid of the journal box all'ords a most prcarious footing at best. 'lio otl'set these defects,Ipropose to form upon theliox lid a roughened projection which oll'ers a t cure foot-hold, and hence enables the train hand to reach the hanger by way of tlltt hox without danger of slipping. I

The figure appearing in the accompanying drawingis a perspective. view of one end of a freight caifiltustrating the applicationof the invention. in said figure. 1 designates in a general I manner a portion of one of the ear trucks, I

| 2 the hanger. and 3 the lowermost lathlerrung. The ournal box 4 supported upon the truck in the usual manner is .of conventional type, and includes-the hinged lid or i cover 5. 'Said box is located directly below i the hanger 2 and adjacent to the same; Upon the box lid, and integral with the same, is formed the improved safety step (3, This step is preferal'ily of inverted V-shape,

as shown, and is braced by a V-shaped web' l 7 which is liltcwi5-- integral with said lid, the step, web and lid being constituted by a single casting. The two wings S of said step have their outer faces roughened in an suitable manner to afford a secure foot-hol said faces being presented toward the op posite ends of the car. The-ridge line formed by the meeting upper edges of the wings projects laterally from the box lid.

By reason of the arrangement of the step.

with reference to the hanger, as above described, it will be apparent: that a train hand can readily and with perfectsafcty swinghimself up to the ladder by stepping first onto either of the wings 8, according to the direction in which the car is traveling, and then onto the hanger. As many of the improved steps may be iemployed as isconsidered advisable, the

formation of said steps upon the box lids adding but very little to the cost of manufacture of said lids.

I claim as my invention;

1. A journal box having a flat safety Step fornu-d integral therewith.

journal box having a safety step formed on the lid thereof.

3. journal box having a safety step formed on the lid thereof and projecting laterally outward from the same.

LA journal box having an inverted V.-

shaped safety step formed on the lid thereof.

5. A journal box havingan invertedV- shaped safety step formed on the lid thereof and projecting laterally outward from the same, said step having its wings presented toward the opposite 'side f:u:e. s of the box.

6. A journal boxh'avtng its hd formed with an inverted V-shaped tlf(fl step, and

i with a strengthening web for the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wlt nesses.

Witnesses "A. P. GRIDl-lk, C. C. MILES.

ANGEL C. NEALE. 

